About the Weaver Ant

Weaver ants are found across east Asia and Australia. They are known for their habit of building their nests by weaving hundreds of leaves instead of building an underground network of tunnels. They are primarily arboreal creatures, living mainly in trees. They range from being reddish-brown to yellowish-brown.
An excerpt from Joseph Banks' Journal (cited in Hölldobler and Wilson 1990) describes the construction of the weaver ant's nest.

"The ants...one green as a leaf, and living upon trees, where it built a nest, in size between that of a man's head and his fist, by bending the leaves together, and gluing them with whitish paperish substances which held them firmly together. In doing this their management was most curious: they bend down four leaves broader than a man's hand, and place them in such a direction as they choose. This requires a much larger force than these animals seem capable of; many thousands indeed are employed in the joint work. I have seen as many as could stand by one another, holding down such a leaf, each drawing down with all his might, while others within were employed to fasten the glue. How they had bent it down I had not the opportunity of seeing, but it was held down by main strength, I easily proved by disturbing a part of them, on which the leaf bursting from the rest, returned to its natural situation, and I had an opportunity of trying with my finger the strength of these little animals must have used to get it down."

Publicado el 09 de agosto de 2020 por